The present invention relates to a high-pressure compressor comprising chambers and passages connected thereto which are intended to convey a sealing and lubricating liquid to and from the impeller shaft.
There are known high pressure compressors in which no sealing liquid is needed. They comprise a common housing for the drive engine and the compressor proper and are provided with a main sealing behind the main shaft of the compressor, immediately in front of the impellers. In this case, because the engine is built in the housing, its performance is limited. The maximum available performances are about 700 kW and up to 3000 r.p.m. Such outputs are no longer sufficient in view of the actual trend to larger synthesis plants. With the double or fourfold performances required, however, the mounting of the engines into the pressure space becomes too expensive.